Sharpening the other day

The other day, I diligently sharpened a stubborn Hamaguri-bladed Yanagiba knife. Simultaneously, I carefully reformed the curve at the tip, crafting a more functional edge for smooth slicing.

The photo shows the knife in a state where it has formed a strong Hamaguri edge, resulting in poor cutting performance.

Here’s an overview of the knife. I aimed to reestablish the Shinogi by adjusting the blade’s geometry and honing down the thickness at the cutting edge. To refine the shape, I also polished the back side of the blade near the edge, employing a ‘shaving-like’ approach.

After achieving a well-structured cutting edge overall, it’s time for some fine-tuning! For this session, I utilized an Amakusa whetstone, a natural sharpening stone.

From this point, I’ll proceed to sharpen in a way that brings out a polished or misty effect, depending on the preference.

• 2013-01-25